Season of Transition

 I remember that first trip to Brazil in 1999 as if it were yesterday. Man, what an exciting time seeing people respond so openly to the gospel! I was convinced that God wanted my wife and I to serve Him in this ripe mission field. Our church leadership recognized that God was opening a door into that nation and the very next year we established the first Brazilian Calvary Chapel in the city where we had sent that first team - Sao Vicente, Brazil. However to my surprise, instead of being a missionary in Brazil, I became the mission pastor at Calvary Corvallis spending my time in communication, administrating financial support, traveling with teams, and being an encouragement to those on the field. Now, after more than a decade in that role, and equipped with what God taught me during that time, my role is changing.

The fact is, everything is different now. Brazil is no longer a simple, impoverished nation, but a nation on the rise in global status and impact. There are 14 Calvary fellowships in Brazil, for the most part led by Brazilian pastors, and located in key influential cities. And God has given me the delightful calling to be a “gray haired Barnabas” to those young Brazilian guys who are already my good friends. Based on the experience of our recent 5 month visit Karen and I are confident this is the ministry God has for us now.

Pastor Rob spoke to me recently about the “excitement of change mixed with the reality of change”… Karen and I are living with that mixture of excitement and challenge every day.  We are trusting God to guide us and are thankful for the way He is using others to help us discern and walk in His will for our life. 

As for now, Karen is working full-time with her old job, helping people catch up after her 5 month absence.  I will be working part time at Calvary Corvallis and also taking time to prepare for long term ministry in Brazil. That means raising financial support and continuing to work on the Portuguese language, as both things are clearly necessary to succeed.

The Final Lap

 Sunday Night Service in Rio, our final gathering with a body of believers here in Brazil before we begin our return trip to Corvallis Wednesday night.

It was a blessing to watch the youth of Calvary Rio express thanks to Cody and Whitney for the way they served and helped and encouraged them.

 God worked it out that Tim Rogers and I had the blessing of being together here in Rio at another key moment in the churches growth. Last night they acknowledged Cleber as an official elder of the church, and Tim and I had the privilege of praying for him along with Pastor Alex. We both remembered how special it was the last time we were in Rio together as Alex was ordained as Pastor.

We will end our time now with a couple of days simply enjoying our grandkids (and their parents of course) here in Rio. They came out from far away Corumba' to see us for a few days and then drive the car home that Karen and I bought and have been using for these 5 months. In preparation for getting home while it is still winter in Oregon we plan to spend much of the next two days on the amazing beaches of Rio de Janeiro. (Sorry to have to give you that detail.)

They will leave Wednesday morning, and Karen, Cody, Whitney and I leave Wednesday night. Kind of funny that Ben and Melissa will still be on the long journey to Corumba', Motto Grosso do Sul, Brazil, when we arrive home in Corvallis, Oregon. Please pray for safe journeys for all of us. We love you all and will see you soon. Larry

Retreat in Rio

Larry, Cody, Whitney and I just returned today from the retreat here in Rio. We have so many stories it is a bit hard to pick the few to tell here but I do know for sure which one I am starting with :) It has to be the drive to the retreat! Whitney rode with us in our car so Larry & I grabbed a quick dinner at McDonalds while Whitney decided she wanted a flavored coffee from Starbucks. After getting our goodies we all headed to the car ready to set our route in the GPS, excited for a nice drive. As we were getting in the car a street guy started trying to take our bags from our hands acting out as if he was going to put them in the car for us. He went to Whitney and acted like he was helping her in the car, grabbed her coffee and ran!

Sometime after leaving town with our GPS set for Xereme we found ourselves on a really dark country road, going from small town to town. By midnight or so we knew we weren't going the right way but Larry didn't know what else to do so on we drove. We really knew we were in trouble when we stopped on a dark street in a town and asked a couple if we were in Xereme and they started laughing at us. We continued on for at least another hour when the GPS started us down a dirt road. Larry thought "Oh good, finally we will get there!" because he knew the retreat facility was at the end of a dirt road. We just went a short way when we started hitting huge holes that were deep with mud. We went another 10 feet and high centered the car between holes. Whitney and I got out to push the car. We were successful in getting it un-stuck but I lost my havaiana in the hole. I reached down in the dark and put my hand right on my flip flop...a bit muddy but I had my shoe :) Whitney and I followed the car on foot in the dark for awhile. I was really enjoying listening to so many night animals that I realized it was really fun being out of the car for a break. As we got back in the car, we all started to get really discouraged. We had no idea where we were or how to get where we needed to go. We saw a pickup on the side of the road so we asked them how to get to Xereme. After telling us how to get there they added that we were about 100 kilometers away. Wow! Talk about really discouraged times 10 by now! We got back on the road, this time a paved road. After driving for awhile, we found ourselves in a town we had been in sometime earlier. We finally decided to pray. Within 10 minutes we found the three things we needed. A bathroom, a gas station (we had less than a quarter of a tank by this time) and bottled water. When we left the station, Larry decided to give up on the GPS and head SE, the direction he felt like Xereme should be. We soon found ourselves heading to a major highway, one we had been on hours earlier. Within a half an hour of praying, we drove into Xereme. We were just thinking that we now needed to figure out how to get to the retreat center at least another 15 minutes away and it was so dark we new we needed help. We saw a vehicle pulled over and I knew right away it was the cavalry! Luis, Alex and Cody had come out to the main road to watch for us. Thank You God!! Not only did they help us get the rest of the way but Luis went into a store and got us a cold coke to make us feel better. In some ways, this story really highlights what God wanted to speak to us at the retreat about knowing our gifts and then using them to edify and build up the body.

Larry particularly focused his teaching on the gift of helps and boy did we need the help we received that night!







It was so amazing how Alex & Larry were sensing the same things from God. We had times where just Larry and I would pray, or Whitney or Cody (or both) would join us in prayer. As we prayed, we sometimes would sense that God wanted to change things up from what was scheduled. Later, Alex would say something or change a direction and it would be right in line with the things we had just prayed. Just before the last evening session, Larry, Cody,Whitney and I were praying and we asked God to lead if we should just skip the teaching and spend the time ministering to the church body, praying over them for application of what they had been learning. That evening after the worship, Alex stood up and pulled out a vial of oil, asking for anyone who wanted to be prayed for to come forward. The next several hours were spent with Larry & Alex praying over almost every person at the retreat as the church continued in praise and worship. It was a very powerful evening. The whole retreat was like that; so Spirit led. So many lives changing before our eyes. It was the best retreat I have ever been to; a perfect mix of teaching, fellowship, fun & application of the word.

Alexandre & Larry having a "meeting

Celeste exercising her gift of helps! Always in the kitchen whipping up  something great for us!!

Praying for Luis & Dani.

Afternoons spent in prayer at the piscina. 

                                

Desire to Finish Well!

It seems surreal but we have arrived at the time where our suitcases are packed for the last move on this trip. Well, almost! We will be traveling to Rio where we will meet up with Cody & Whitney and then proceed to Xereme which is a small town somewhere in the burbs of Rio De Janeiro. We will be there for the Carnival retreat with Alex & the church from Rio where Larry will be sharing the task of teaching with Alex.
We are looking forward to reuniting with Cody....it seems like ion's ago that we were together with him. From the retreat, we will go to Rio and spend the remainder of our time there. Larry and I will be sharing at the married couples fellowship on Saturday evening; please pray!!

We will also be blessed beyond belief with one last visit with Ben, Melissa and the grandchildren here in Brasil before returning to the states. They will be flying to join us in Rio and we will turn over the car to them. We are very grateful that God has made a way for us to spend the last week giving them all the hugs and kisses they can stand from us. Little did we know that when they left for Brasil from Oregon almost 2 years ago we would not be saying goodbye to our slumber parties with the kids :)
Finally, Larry and I have quite a lot of experience with outreaches and mission trips & we know that we could easily be making the leap in our minds and hearts from Brasil to Oregon while still finishing up what God has for us here. We do not want to short-change God or the people He loves. We have a desire to finish well and have been praying for just that ending to our time here and we would be so blessed if  you would join us in that prayer. We love you all so very much and appreciate all the prayers, love and encouragement that has been poured out for us and on us. We will be reporting back when we have finished the trip to all who have been a part of this mission and adventure! KL
 Our desire is to say with Paul:
Acts 20:24  But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Time with the Yoders

It has been a pretty special week for us since Warren and Sheri arrived on Wednesday. They are here in Sao Vicente with us for 5 days, staying in a hotel just down the street from our apartment. It has been wonderful to have time with our good friends from the states, but even better has been the opportunity to spend time with them together with our friends in Brazil. It will be a little sad to see them go on Monday, but we are grateful to have had a few days with them at the beginning of their most recent Brazil journey. As for Karen and I we hit the road again on Wednesday for the final leg of our journey in Rio. With Carnival starting this Friday, that should be a real interesting change of pace! We are looking forward to spending our last couple of weeks here with Cody and Whitney. Seems like a long, long time....

Highlight Moments

First of all, I want to thank Karen for the time she has invested journalling our adventure on this blog site and facebook. We both value the friends who follow our journey and keep us in prayer, and I see how committed Karen has been to keeping our reports current.

For me I think the "highlight moments" recently have been so simple that they are not the kind of things you would write about. Like last Saturday. Celso turned 34 and we were invited over for a little celebration. It wasn't a church thing, (they did that on Sunday), it was family. And the highlight that day was laughing with and teasing with Celso's father, Hamilton, as we played a crazy game called "Kaker Laken Poker". Which means "Cockroach Poker" in German. Celso's brother-in-law, assistant pastor, Christoph, is German and always seems to have some of the greatest, crazy games we have ever played.

I have noticed recently that people in the church now consider it normal to see us at the services, prayer times, work days, etc. And I suppose because I have been up front teaching quite a bit they kind of "know" me. But I have been sort of sad because I don't really know them. Seeing people at church and knowing them is two different things entirely.

Last Tuesday after prayer meeting this guy named Bom Fim told me he and his wife and another couple were going fishing on Thursday and invited Karen and I to go. A 40 minute drive up the coast to Monagua' where there is a 400 meter long "platforma pesca" (fishing dock) extending out into the ocean. Like the disciples in John 21, we worked hard and caught nothing, but the time hanging out and being with these key leaders in the church doing ordinary things was another highlight for me. Despite the  sunburn....

Reflections

Reflections of sunrise on buildings

We are now in our 19th week here in Brasil. In some ways, it seems like it has been forever since we were in Oregon, yet it has also gone by so fast! We have about 4 weeks to go and the schedule is full but as always it remains flexible to the leading of the Lord. I am grateful for the blog because at my age I need it to refresh my memory with all of our adventures, traveling & fun but much more significantly it is a reminder of the things God has been working on in my life. Larry & I have faced many, many challenges personally and together on this trip. We have had hard times and good times that have all added to our maturing as individuals, husband & wife, partners, members in Christs body, in our spiritual gifts, in friendships & with our relatives and earthly families. As I write this I am fully aware that this leg of the race is far from over but I have had some time lately to look back on the last few months and reflect on our time here so far.

We have also been noticing differences we see in Brasil from 10 years ago when Larry first came here. As we drive around Sao Vicente we have realized how much has changed. Larry was telling me when he looks at the 20 passenger Mercedes vans & the large city buses it reminds him of the first year he came to Brasil. It was Kombi's (we call them VW vans) back then and they drove around the streets with the sliding door open, hollering out the destinations. People who wanted to go where the Kombi was headed would flag them over like a taxi. Also, the streets are full of cars, too many for the roadways. It seems that most of our Brasilian friends now drive cars, most of them new cars. There are malls everywhere and plenty of people shopping in them. Life here is so much faster, the Brasilians speak louder and are more confident. There is road construction all over Brasil, updating old highways and roads and building and widening more to try and keep up with the growth. We have also noticed in all of the cities we pass through there is a huge amount of building construction going on. Many more high-rises being built at a rapid rate. There are still places in Brasil that aren't quite as modern but they are changing too, just a little slower pace.

Our lives change, people we know change and the world changes. Some changes are good and some not so good. When we find joy and happiness in things, people,  hobbies, our work & play we need to remember, things in this life are temporary but God is eternal. the One who never changes is our rock we can hold onto when the storms come. He is the one who's loving arms we can rest in when we are weary. His consistency gives us peace when there is turmoil all around us. He is the one who see's all and knows all so we can trust that His way is best despite what our deceitful hearts say otherwise. When we have lack, He is our provider. He feeds us and quenches our thirst with the bread of His word and the water of his spirit.

I remember in the first couple of weeks of our trip, Larry had been teaching on Jonah a few days previous to a prayer meeting we were in. As I was listening to the worship before prayer, I pictured myself in a beautiful place surrounded by people I love and having no lack of life on earth but without God. I then  pictured myself in the middle of an ocean, sitting on a small island of sand. No food, no drinking water, not even a tree for shade but God was with me. There is no place I would rather be than on that Island with God.

I had a meltdown one day last week that I am not proud of but I am grateful for it. It was a good reminder that I can not stand in my own strength, I NEED GOD! I spent at least a few hours crying and begging Larry to take me to the airport so I could go home to Oregon. As Larry prayed for me and encouraged me I realized that I was making a blatant choice to exercise my will and disobey God. He is not finished with us here in Brasil yet.  He is not finished with the work He wants to do in me here in Brasil yet. I have no idea what lays around the corner in my future but I do know if it doesn't include following God wherever he leads, it isn't worth going.

1Corinthians 13:12  For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 

2Corinthians 3:18  But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

James 1:22  But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
James 1:23  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
James 1:24  for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
James 1:25  But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. 


 Luke 6:47  Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:
Luke 6:48  He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.
Luke 6:49  But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great."